LettersHong Kong protests: fix the crisis of trust to help distressed youth move on

2-MIN READ2-MIN

Students from Yau Tsim Mong and Sham Shui Po join a rally in Tsim Sha Tsui in December last year to support fellow students who had been injured or arrested during the anti-government protests. Photo: Dickson Lee

Published: 1:10pm, 26 Jan 2020Updated: 1:10pm, 26 Jan 2020

Earlier this month, we all learned of the staggering survey results of more than 2 million Hong Kong adults showing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) amid the months of protests triggered by the extradition bill. This has reinforced our worst fears as a community (“More than 2 million Hongkongers show signs of PTSD, study finds”, January 10).

According to the study, 22 per cent of respondents surveyed during last year’s unrest reported probable major depression or suspected PTSD. As a result of what Hong Kong has experienced for the last seven months, we are now seeing concrete evidence suggesting that a sizeable number of Hong Kong people are facing a variety of mental health issues.

We support the call from the medical community for more mental health professionals to take on the job of healing. And we go one step further to say that, even within our sector of those working with youth, we are facing another challenge – mistrust.

Even with adequate facilities and services, we cannot deny the fact that many of those who are struggling, including young people, find it difficult to trust the authorities and will not seek the help they need.

Moreover, data from the Mental Health Review Report published by the Food and Health Bureau in 2017 showed that one in six adolescents in Hong Kong suffered from a mental disorder.